Its journey from the corner lot was watched by hundreds of spectators, and now Mrs. Cliff, Willy, and Mr. Burke spent day and evening in exhibiting and explaining this remarkable3 piece of building enterprise.
Mr. Burke was very jolly. He took no credit to himself for the planning of the house, which, as he truthfully said, had been the work of an architect who had suggested what was proper and had been allowed to do it. But he did feel himself privileged to declare that if every crew building a house were commanded by a person of marine4 experience, things would move along a good deal more briskly than they generally did, and to this assertion he found no one to object.
Mrs. Cliff was very happy in wandering over her new rooms, and in assuring herself that no matter how grand[Pg 110] they might be when they were all furnished and fitted up, nothing had been done which would interfere5 with the dear old home which she had loved so long. It is true that one of the windows of the little dining-room was blocked up, but that window was not needed.
Mr. Burke was not willing to give Mrs. Cliff more than a day or two for the contemplation of her new possessions, and urged upon her that while the chimneys were being erected6 and the heating apparatus7 was being put into the house, she ought to attend to the selection and purchase of the carpets, furniture, pictures, and everything which was needed in the new establishment.
Mrs. Cliff thought this good advice, and proposed a trip to Boston; but Burke did not think that would do at all, and declared that New York was the only place where she could get everything she needed. Willy, who was to accompany Mrs. Cliff, had been to Boston, but had never visited New York, and she strongly urged the claims of the latter city, and an immediate8 journey to the metropolis9 was agreed upon.
But when Mrs. Cliff considered the magnitude and difficulties of the work she was about to undertake, she wished for the counsel and advice of some one besides Willy. This good little woman was energetic and enthusiastic, but she had had no experience in regard to the furnishing of a really good house.
When, in her mind, she was running over the names of those who might be able and willing to go with her and assist her, Mrs. Cliff suddenly thought of the Thorpedyke ladies, and there her mental category[Pg 111] stopped as she announced to Willy that she was going to ask these ladies to go with them to New York.
Willy thought well of this plan, but she had her doubts about Miss Barbara, who was so quiet, domestic, and unused to travel that she might be unwilling10 to cast herself into the din2 and whirl of the metropolis. But when she and Mrs. Cliff went to make a call upon the Thorpedykes and put the question before them, she was very much surprised to find that, although the elder sister, after carefully considering the subject, announced her willingness to oblige Mrs. Cliff, Miss Barbara agreed to the plan with an alacrity11 which her visitors had never known her to exhibit before.
As soon as the necessary preparations could be made, a party of five left Plainton for New York, and a very well-assorted party it was! Mr. Burke, who guided and commanded the expedition, supplied the impelling12 energy; Mrs. Cliff had her check book with her; Willy was ready with any amount of enthusiasm; and the past life of Miss Eleanor Thorpedyke and her sister Barbara had made them most excellent judges of what was appropriate for the worthy13 furnishing of a stately mansion14.
Their youth and middle life had been spent near Boston, in a fine old house which had been the home of their ancestors, and where they had been familiar with wealth, distinguished15 society, and noble hospitality. But when they had been left the sole representatives of their family, and when misfortune after misfortune had come down upon them and swept away their estates[Pg 112] and nearly all of their income, they had retired16 to the little town of Plainton where they happened to own a house.
There, with nothing saved from the wreck17 of their prosperity but their family traditions, and some of the old furniture and pictures, they had settled down to spend in quiet the rest of their lives.
For two weeks our party remained in New York, living at one of the best hotels, but spending nearly all their time in shops and streets.
Mrs. Cliff was rapidly becoming a different woman from the old Mrs. Cliff of Plainton. At the time she stepped inside of the addition to her house the change had begun, and now it showed itself more and more each day. She had seen more beautiful things in Paris, but there she looked upon them with but little thought of purchasing. In New York whatever she saw and desired she made her own.
The difference between a mere18 possessor of wealth and one who uses it became very apparent to her. Not until now had she really known what it was to be a rich woman. Not only did this consciousness of power swell19 her veins20 with a proud delight, but it warmed and invigorated all her better impulses. She had always been of a generous disposition22, but now she felt an intense good-will toward her fellow-beings, and wished that other people could be as happy as she was.
She thought of Mrs. Ferguson and remembered what she had said about her daughters. To be sure, Mrs. Ferguson was always trying to get people to do things for[Pg 113] her, and Mrs. Cliff did not fancy that class of women, but now her wealth-warmed soul inclined her to overlook this prejudice, and she said to herself that when she got home she would make arrangements for those two girls to go to a good school; and, more than that, she would see to it that Mr. Ferguson was moved. It seemed to her just then that it would be a very cheerful thing to make other people happy.
The taste and artistic23 judgment24 of the elder Miss Thorpedyke, which had been dormant25 for years, simply because there was nothing upon which they could exercise themselves, now awoke in their old vigor21, and with Mrs. Cliff's good sense, reinforced by her experience gained in wandering among the treasures of Paris, the results of the shopping expedition were eminently26 satisfactory. And, with the plan of the new building, which Mr. Burke carried always with him, everything which was likely to be needed in each room, hall, or stairway, was selected and purchased, and as fast as this was done, the things were shipped to Plainton, where people were ready to put them where they belonged.
Willy Croup was not always of service in the purchasing expeditions, for she liked everything that she saw, and no sooner was an article produced than she went into ecstasies27 over it; but as she had an intense desire to see everything which New York contained, she did not at all confine herself to the shops and bazaars28. She went wherever she could and saw all that it was possible for her to see; but in the midst of the sights and attractions of the metropolis she was still Willy Croup.[Pg 114]
One afternoon as she and Miss Barbara were passing along one of the side streets on their return from an attempt to see how the poorer people lived, Willy stopped in front of a blacksmith's shop where a man was shoeing a horse.
"There!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with delight, "that's the first thing I've seen that reminds me of home!"
"It is nice, isn't it!" said gentle Miss Barbara.
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1
harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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6
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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7
apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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8
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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alacrity
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| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
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12
impelling
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| adj.迫使性的，强有力的v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的现在分词 ) | |
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13
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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dormant
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| adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的 | |
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eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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27
ecstasies
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| 狂喜( ecstasy的名词复数 )； 出神； 入迷； 迷幻药 | |
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28
bazaars
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| （东方国家的）市场( bazaar的名词复数 )； 义卖； 义卖市场； （出售花哨商品等的）小商品市场 | |
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